Category Archives: the Makeup stuff.

the Hair stuff., the Makeup stuff., the Me stuff., the Skin stuff.

Drugstore Cowgirl

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Familiar sight?

Yes, I do frequently find myself perusing aimlessly through my local drugstore. In fact, I frequently find myself perusing aimlessly through the not-so-local ones as well. CVS, Rite-Aid, Walgreen’s, and whatever others there may be … I’ve wandered them all, near and far. However, I should add that it is especially awkward with the local stores because the check-out attendants see my face quite a bit. But that’s not really what makes it awkward, when I think about it … it’s the fact that nine times out of ten, I walk out of the store without buying anything. I literally … just … wander. And then I leave.

I’ll wander down the hair care aisle and open up maybe five bottles of shampoo or conditioner, smell them, and then shut them, put them back, and leave. Or I’ll stare at the L’Oreal eyeshadows, pick one up, walk around with it, and then put it back and leave. Or I’ll be staring at the skin care products and I’ll pick up the package of pre-moistened face towelettes and kind of squish them in their package, and then put them back and leave. Or sometimes … I just stare. And then leave.

Don’t ask me why I do any of this, or what it does for me when I do it. Believe me, I’m aware of how I may look as I engage in these behaviors. Shoplifter? Social disorder? Obsessive compulsions? Incurable boredom? Yeah, it could look like it (and trust me, I’m not kidding when I say that the cashier attendants know who I am … they give me the look every time).

Wandering through the drugstore beauty aisles will probably remain one of my favorite ways to kill time, though. Maybe it’s just the idea of being around the products of an industry I enjoy. But seriously- there’s enough to look at, there’s usually something new, I’m not too tempted to buy anything there because most of the products ain’t that great for your skin or hair (and if I do buy anything I probably won’t be spending too much). So if you see me creepin’ at Rite-Aid next week and sniffing a deep conditioner without any intent of purchasing, just keep your side-eye to yourself. You know you do it too, honey boo boo. xo, MR

the Makeup stuff., the Me stuff.

Bridal anti-makeup

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Megan is one of those women that makes you take a good, hard look at yourself and ask ‘How can I give more? How do I need to change? I want to be more like her.’ She has an iron will and a heart of compassion, and, no joke … she teaches underprivileged sixth-graders at a charter school in Watts. I have an education in, well, education, and I can say with all certainty that that is tough. And I’m not even referring to the kids (because they will be a challenge in any classroom anywhere), but the system that teachers are up against these days in California can be brutal and discouraging. I love Megan for her ability to endure and for her uncompromising integrity in the face of adversity.

For her wedding, Megan didn’t have a particular plan for her face because makeup isn’t really one of her things. And not that it mattered- she goes without it pretty much everyday and manages to always look naturally beautiful. You just don’t picture Megan with a lot of makeup on when you think of her, and so her bridesmaids and I concluded that the ‘less is more’ approach would make the most sense for her. And boy did it work out. Using a bronze-y, metallic palette for her green eyes, a little peachy-pink blush combined with bronzer for cheeks, a warm lip color, and my go-to MakeupForever HD foundation and finishing powder, and voila!… it’s all she needed. I like to think of it as an “anti-makeup” approach to bridal makeup … all I was going for was enhancement of Megan’s natural features. Anything too out of the ordinary for her would’ve just been so … not her.

And seriously, who needs makeup with that hair? xo, MR

All photography is credited to Jen Disney Photography. For more of Jen’s work, check out her talents at http://www.jendisney.com .

the Makeup stuff., the Me stuff.

Here comes my (first) bride!

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Whitney has been a friend of mine since late high school, and one my very closest at that. She was a bridesmaid in my own wedding last year and there was never a question that I’d be a bridesmaid for her. When I think of Whitney, the words ‘loyalty’ and ‘dedication’ immediately come to mind. She’s worked herself to the grindstone the past couple years pursuing (and achieving!) the goal of a nursing career, a journey which brought her to the brink of insanity. But when Whitney sees capability and calling within herself or others, there’s just no stopping her. She’ll work night and day to push herself, and she values the qualities of commitment and hard work in others too.

It’s for these reasons that Whitney’s been the one friend that has pestered me the most to advertise my talents. I’m pretty wishy-washy on things like these, but not long after her engagement, Whitney asked me to do her makeup for her big day. Now, I’d never put myself to the bridal test before (unless you count my own wedding … I did my own makeup for the most part … more on that later), so I was still nervous at the idea. What was so cool, however, was that Whitney just had such complete confidence in me. She made me feel like a professional, and in turn I felt like one. We had a couple practice sessions, and by the bachelorette weekend we’d hit the spot. On the day of, I really couldn’t have been more proud of my work. As a whole picture, I’d never seen her look more beautiful. I was floored.

I honestly felt like a champ after this wedding. I was encouraged, and I felt inspired to try for more. Since then (and this was in April, by the way), I’ve done a couple faces for Prom, some general practice on friends, two more brides (one of which seals the deal this weekend!), and countless applications on myself. I’d also done the makeup for a couple photography sessions earlier in the year. I aim to push myself this next year with the hopes of making just a couple more brides as happy as my Whitney! xo, MR

All photography is credited to Mike Lewis Photography. For more of his work and the full spread on Whitney Norrbom’s wedding, check out his blog at http://www.needpictures.com/blog/

the Makeup stuff., the Skin stuff.

I am a true Neoclassicist work of art.

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Just kidding, I’m not really calling myself a work of art (though sometimes I really do look like this when I wake up). It’s just that I’ve watched that video on museum-inspired makeup I posted a couple days ago probably once every day during the past week, and I had to do my own follow-up on it. I’m always looking for an excuse to try something new and maybe an excuse to find a new product (because you’ve really gotta twist my arm for that). Luckily, the only product I purchased as a result of Emily Weiss’s video was MAC’s powder blush in ‘Buff’.

Here, I’ve recreated the look shown in the video on myself, inspired by the luminous skin seen in paintings from the Neoclassicist and Romantic periods of art.

There is no filter used on this photo! I didn’t Instagram it, nothin’. I just sat in front of an open window facing the light. See how my skin glows? I followed Violette’s instructions exactly from the video. The MAC blush made a huge difference, especially when being careful to start at the ear and brush down into the hollows of the cheek. I always like to have my models pucker and make a fish-face when I apply bronzer or a contouring blush on them, and it worked well for this. Violette’s instructions on how to apply the highlighter (a pearly cream shadow) were right on; all the little spots on your face that catch the light. I barely put anything on my lips, just some balm. And while I tend to put on three or four coats of mascara regularly, I tried to use a little less than usual for this look.

I used the following key products of my own:

MakeupForever HD Foundation in #115

NARS cream blush in Lokoum

NARS cream shadow in Thebes

MakeupForever HD Finish powder

MAC eye kohl in Smolder

the Makeup stuff., the Skin stuff.

Museum-Inspired Makeup

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Emily Weiss of http://www.intothegloss.com just knows the right people. As a beauty editor for Vogue, she’s got the connections that’ll make you cringe with envy (I don’t know about you, but when I’m envious I cringe). Here, she’s filmed her girl Violette (a ridiculously talented Dior representative) showing us how to contour and highlight for a fresh-faced look reminiscent of neoclassicist paintings. Brilliant. Be sure to check out her blog that features a full post on this video!